The present invention relates to solar energy powered heat generators in general, and more particularly to such generators having means for concentrating solar energy onto a heat exchange device, yet which are economical to produce and maintain.
As the world's resources for providing energy become more and more depleted, the need for developing energy utilizing non-depletable sources becomes more critical. Accordingly, there has been a renewed emphasis placed on developing systems powered by solar energy.
Previously proposed systems utilizing solar energy have not achieved full commercial success due to the relatively high cost of constructing and installing such systems. Such prior proposals have tended to require complicated and expensive sub-systems which focus incoming solar energy on to one form or another of a heat exchange device. Because of the complicated construction of such systems, manufacturing costs, and usually maintenance costs, were prohibitive, rendering the systems unsatisfactory for use by the average home owner.
Furthermore, prior art systems usually required sophisticated tracking devices for aiming energy collectors employed in such systems at the sun as it moved overhead during the day. Such tracking devices added to the overall expense of the system, further rendering it unsatisfactory to the average home owner.